Inking apparatus.



' Patented lan. 8, |901. J. N. P. BEAMER.`4 mums APPARATUS.

(Applicaion led Apu, 4, 1'900.)

(No' Model.) 2 Sheets-SheeLL ATTORNEY we Nomus PETERS co. vnoauwn..WASHINGTON. n c.

Patented lam 8, |90I. J. N. P. CRAMEH. .INKING APPARATUS. (Apphcmon medApr 4,1900) 2 Sheets-Sheet '2.'

INVENToR ATTORNEY (N0 Model.)v

w|TNEssEs:'

UNITED TATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN N. P. CRAMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

INKING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,407, dated January8, 1901.

Application filed JApril 41 1900.

To all whom, it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, JOHN N. P. CRAMER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city of\New York andState of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in InkingApparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

This invention relates to inkin g apparatus,

and has for its objects the thorough inclosure and protection of theink, so as to exclude lint and dust and dirt therefrom and to preventwaste or evaporation or deterioration of the ink, and the readyadjustment and regulation of the amount of ink supplied by the inkingapparatus, and the accurate supply of the ink in such quantities asdesired without shortage or waste, and the agitation of the ink, so asto maintain a homogeneous condition thereof and prevent settling orseparation of any part thereof or the deposit of any sediment therefrom,and also has for its objects simplicity, economy, neatness, and theattainment of other advantageous features, as will more fully appear inthe description hereinafter given of means embodying my invention.

Figures land 2 are longitudinal Vertical sections of portions of anaddressing-machine containing inking apparatus embodying my invention,showing the moving part-s in two different positions. Fig. 3 is a planview of the saine with the upper parts of the machine partly brokenaway. Fig. 4 is a face view of a perforated address card or stencil suchas are used in this machine. Fig. 5 is a detail of the adjustable feedor mouth of the inkfountain.

The addressing-machine, partly shown in the drawings, is provided with aframe comprising side frames 1 2, joined by tie-bars 3 3, and an uppertable 4. This machine is adapted for printing from stencils, and thestencils are fed along in grooved Ways 5 5 on the table 4 under thepresser-block or platen 6. One of the stencils 7 is shown in section inoperative position in Figs. 1 and 2 and separately in face view in Fig.4; but the means for feeding and for controlling the movements of suchstencils are not shown, means being well known in the art whereby suchstencils may be fed along such grooved Serial No. 11,551. (No model.)

ways and brought successively in operative position over the opening 8in the table. The card, envelop, or other object to be printed is laidover the stencil 7 and under the platen 6 when the platen 6 is raised,as in Fig. 2, and the platen 6 then descends to the position shown inFig. l and the ink-applying device moves in contact with the lower faceof the stencil and the ink is forced through the openings in the stenciland imparted to the surface of the object to be printed.

The present invention relates to means for supplying, distributing, andapplying the ink and is embodied in an ink-fountain and in means fordistributing the ink supplied by such fountain preparatory to impartingthe ink to the surface to be printed. The inkfountain is so constructedand operated that the ink is intermittently supplied to an inkimpartiugdevice and is intermittently applied by this ink-imparting device to inkreceiving or distributing surfaces or devices. In the embodiment of myinvention shown in the drawings the ink-fountain 9 is a closed hollowreceptacle or reservoir loosely mounted at one end on the shaft 10 andprovided with a filling-orifice closed by a removable plug 1l and havingan ink-imparting device at its outer end. This ink-imparting deviceconsists of a piece or pieces of absorbent material, such as the pieceof felt 12, held in an adjustable mouth at the outer end of theinkfountain,such adjustable mouth being formed by one of the walls ofthe ink-fountain and by a presser-bar 13 and the presser-bar 13 beingadjustable by screws 14 14 to vary the pressure upon the ink-impartingdevice or piece of felt 12, and thereby to vary its inkabsorbingcapacity.

The ink-fountain 9 is actuated to cause it to perform an oscillatingmovement in its lower position, as shown in Fig. l, having its mouth andthe ink-imparting device 12 below the fluid-level of the ink in theink-fountain, so that the ink will flow freely to the ink-impartingdevice, and in its upper position bringing the ink-imparting device intocontact with the ink distributing or receiving surface, shown as a tableor plate arranged face downward, such ink-receiving surface being at thelower face of the table 4. As the ink-fountain is thus oscillated theink is IOO intermittently supplied to the ink-imparting device andintermittently applied by the inkimparting device to thedistributing-table in regulated quantities, depending upon theabsorptive capacity of the ink-im parting device, the ink-impartingdevice receiving ink in lower position and retaining this ink when thefountain moves to upper position, although the ink-imparting device isthen above the duid-level, and applyinga portion of the ink thusretained to the ink-distrlmting table. The feeding of the ink is to someextent assisted by centrifugal action, which causes or tends to cause anoutward pressure of the ink toward the ink-imparting device. The amountof ink thus taken up by the ink-imparting device and applied to theink-distributing table can be regulated to a nicety by adjusting thescrews 1414, and thereby varying the pressure of the presser-bar 13 uponthe piece of felt or ink-imparting device 12.

The ink applied to the ink-distributing table is distributed thereon,the means shown for distributing the ink consisting of thedistributing-rollers 16 17 18, which are carried in a roller-framecomposed of side bars 19 and cross-bars 22, such roller-framereciprocating in guideways 20, formed inside guide-pieces 15, whichguide-pieces may be adjustably or otherwise held in the main frame. Thefront roller 16 of these distributing-rollers is also the inking-roller,this front roller 16 moving forward under the printing device or stencil7 and applying ink through the openings in the stencil to the surface tobe printed. The lower surface of the stencil is elevated somewhat abovethe lower surface of the distributing-table, and it is thereforenecessary to elevate the inking-roller to bring it into contact with thestencil. As the stencils are usually of paper or parchment and it isdesirable to use the same stencil for hundreds of printing operations,the movements of the inking-rollerin contact with the stencil should beaccurate and uniform and the tension or pressure applied by theinking-roller should be equal in all parts of its movement in contactwith the stencil and it should move away froln and into contact with thestencil cleanly and accurately. It is also highly desirable that thedistributing-rollers should be under uniform tension when moving incontact with the distributing-plate. These desirable advantageousfeatures are attained in the apparatus shown embodying,r my invent-ionby means of guides controlling the movements of the inking anddistribuling roller and of the distributilig-rollers, these guideshaving inclines and rises at their front ends and the rollers beingfreely movable vertically in their bearings in the roller-frame, so thattheir vertical position and pressure will be entirely under the controlof the guides. The guides 23 for the inking and distributing roller 16and for the distributing-rollers 17 and 18 are shown as formed in theside guidepieces 15, above the guidcways for the rollerframe, and haveat their front portions the inclines and rises 43, and the shafts of therollers 16, 17, and 18 rest upon the guides, and the bearings of theseshafts in the reciprocating rollerframc are open-top forks, and as therollers are reciprocated they are guided by these guides and heldagainst the distrib uting-table with a uniform pressure, and the roller16 is moved by the inclines of the guides upward against the stencil andis held for a short distance by the rises of these guidesin contact withthe stencil. In the construction shown the inking and distributingroller 16 in each printing operation moves over the stencil twice-oncein the forward movement of thc inking and distributing roller and oncein the rearward movement thereof.

All parts of the machine are shown as actuated from the main shaft 24e.The inking apparatus is actuated from a crank 25 on the main shaft 24,joined by a connecting-rod 26 to the arm 27 of the oscillating shaft 28,and the oscillating shaft 28 has an arm 29, joined by a connecting-rod30 to an arm 31 on the ink-fountain 9, and an arm 32, joined by aconnecting-rod 33 to an arm 34, secured to one of the cross-bars 22 ofthe roller-frame. The presser-block or platen 6 is actuated from a cam35 on the main shaft 24, such cam 35 working against a cam-roller 36,held in an arm 37 of the frame 38 of such platen, and the cam moves andholds the platen down and a spring 39 holds the cani-roller against thecam, lthis construction of platen-actuating parts being substantially asheretofore known in such devices.

For convenience in filling the ink-reservoir is so mounted in themachine as to be readily removable, and in the construction shown thisis accomplished by fitting the shaft 10 of the inklfountain, upon whichthe ink-fountain is loosely mounted, so that this shaft may be readilyremoved, and by connecting the front end of the connecting-rod 3() tothe arm 31 of the ink-fountain by an open yoke over a pin on the arm, sothat the front end of the connecting-rod may he readily lifted anddisconnected from the fountain-arm 31. To provide for an adjustment'. ofthe movement of the ink-fountain, the shaft-arm 2f) has a slottedconnection with the rear end of the connecting-rod 30.

The ink used in an addressing-m achine elnploying perforated orstenciled address-cards is usually an oil-ink, containing but littlevarnish and not adhesive in its nature. I have therefore made thesurface of the distributing-plate slightly rough or adhesive to insurethat the distributing-rollers will rotate thereon from contacttherewith, and this roughened or adhesive surface I have provided bycovering the distributing-plate with a fabric, such as linen, caused toadhere to the metallic plate by a substance which will not dissolve orsoften under the action of the IZO ink, such as shellac, and such afabric covering 21 is shown in the drawings. I have in some instancessaturated this fabric with shellac, and thereby produced a hard,nonabsorptive, but rough surface, and I have omitted the fabric coveringand merely milled the metal surface of the distributing-plate, andthereby produced a hard rough surface, and with both of theseconstructions have obtained a surface affording sufficient friction tocause the rotation of the rollers from contact therewith. I prefer,however, to use a fabric covering and to coat only the inner surface ofthe fabric with the shellac or other substance, and thereby a soit andabsorptive distributing-surface is produced which supplies the necessaryfriction and over which the ink will be readily and evenly distributedby the rollers. I have employed rubber as the material for thedistributing-rollers 16, 17, and 18.

The oscillating movement of the ink-fountain 9 keeps the ink thoroughlyagitated therein and prevents separation of parts of diiferent specificgravities or settling of any parts thereof, and thereby insures aconstant homogeneous condition thereof and prevents the deteriorationand waste and fouling of the ink-fountain resulting from the deposit ofa sediment therein. The ink-fountain 9 is thoroughly incloscd and theink therein thus protected from dust and dirt and lint, as well as fromevaporation and deterioration, such as exposure to air would cause. Itnot only imparts the ink in regulated quantities capable of accurateadjustment, but also applies the ink directly to the distributing-plateand then moves out of the way of the distributing-rollers, and thuspermits full and free movements of the distributing-rollers.

The handling of paper usually causes a lint to settle upon all upturnedand unprotected surfaces, such as will speedily impair the action of thedistributing-surfaces, and an important feature of my invention is theprotection of the ink-distributing surfaces from such lint and from dirtor other falling particles. This is accomplished by arranging thedistributing-plate in substantially horizontal position with its facedownward and also by partly inclosing this lower face 'and locating theink-distributing rollers beneath this table and also by protecting therollers when in forward position. As shown, the horizontalink-distributing plate or table 4 is inclosed at the sides by the guidesl5 l5,which it overlaps, and this table extends rearwardly beyond itsink-receiving part and extends forwardly beyond the impression devices,and a front and lower casing 40 further protects thedistributing-surfaces.

The tension of the distributing-rollers 16, 17, and 1S may be adj ustedby the adjustment of the guide-piece 15, as above stated, or by theadjustment of the position of the table 4t, such table 4 being securedto the frame by screws 41 and being readily adjustable by using washers42 or other spacing devices of desired thickness between the bottom ofthe table and the tops of the side frames.

It is evident that various modifications may be made in the constructionabove described within the purview of my invention and that parts of myinvention may be used separately or in combination with other parts thanthose above described.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An ink-fountain comprising an ink-reservoir and an absorbentink-imparting device, the fountain being movable into a position such that theink will iiow to the absorbing ink-imparting device and into a positionsuch that the ink will flow away therefrom, and means for actuating thesame, substantially as set forth.

2. An inking apparatus comprising an inkfountain and an ink receivingand distributing surface, the ink-fountain having an inkreservoir and anink-imparting device and means whereby the ink is intermittentlysupplied to the ink-imparting device and is intermittently applied bythe ink-im parting device to the receiving and distributing surface,substantially as set forth.

3. An ink-fountain comprising an ink-reservoir and an absorbentink-imparting device, and means whereby the ink is intermittentlysupplied to the absorbent ink-imparting device, substantially as setforth.

,4. An ink-fountain comprising an inclosed ink-reservoir having a mouthand an absorbent ink-imparting device at said mouth, and means formoving the same into a position such that the ink will flow to theink-imparting device and into a position such that the ink will flowaway therefrom, substantially as set forth.

5. An inking apparatus comprisingan inkfountain and an ink-receivingsurface and movable ink distributing means, the inkfountain having anink-imparting device and means for actuating the ink fountain to causethe ink-imparting device to apply ink to the receiving-surface and thento move the ink-fountain away from the receivingsurface, and foractuating the movable inkdistributing means to cause the same to moveover the part of the receiving-surface to which the ink has beenapplied, substantially as Set forth.

6. An inking apparatus comprising an inkfountain and an ink-receivingsurface, the ink-foun tain having an ink-reservoir and an ink -impartingdevice, the fountain being movable into a position such that the inkwill flow to the ink-imparting device and the inkimparting device willbe away from the inkreceiving surface and into a position such that theink will tloW away from the ink-imparting 'device and the ink-impartingdevice will be in contact with the receiving-surface, and means foractuating the same, substantially as set forth.

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7. An inking apparatus comprising an inkreceiving surface, a movableink-fountain having an ink-reservoir and having an inkimparting devicecapable of receiving and holding a charge of ink, and means foractuating the ink-fountain to cause the inkimparting device to fall toreceive a charge of ink and to rise to apply the ink to thereceiving-surface, substantially as set forth.

8. An inking apparatus comprising an inkfountain having an ink-impartingdevice, an ink-receiving surface and movable ink-distributing meanscooperating therewith, substantially as described.

9. An inking apparatus comprisingr an inkfountain and an ink-receivingsurface, the ink-fountain having an ink-reservoir and an ink-impartingdevice and being fitted lo receive an oscillating movement and movableto bring the ink-imparting device into and out of contact with theink-receiving surface, and means for actuating the same, substantiallyas set forth.

10. An inking apparatus comprising an inkfountain and an ink-receivingsurface and ink-distributing means, the ink-distributing means beingmovable relatively to the inkreceiving surface, and the ink-fountainhaving an ink-imparting device and being movable relatively to theink-receiving surface to bring the ink-imparting device into and out ofcontact with the ink-receiving surface, and means for actuating thesame, substantially as set forth.

1l. An inking apparatus comprising an inkdistributing table arrangedface downward and having a substantially-horizontal lower face, anddownwardly extending side walls partly inclosing said lowerface,'whereby said lower face is protected from falling particles, andink-distributing rollers arranged to reciprocate under and in contactwith the inkdistributing table and protected thereby and by the sidewalls thereof from falling particles, substantially as set forth.

12. An inkingapparatus comprising aninkdistributing table arranged facedownward, a movable ink-fountain having an ink-imparting device, andmeans for oscillating the inkfountain to move the ink-imparting deviceinto position to supply ink to the ink-distributing table and to movethe ink-imparting device away from such position, substantially as setforth.

13. An inking apparatus comprising an inkdistributing table arrangedface downward, a movable ink-fountain having an ink-imparting device andmeans for actuating the inkfountain to cause the ink-imparting device tomove upward into contact with the inkdistributing table and downwardaway therefrom, substantially as set forth.

14. An inking apparatus comprising an inkdistributing table arrangedface downward, an oscillating ink-fountain having an inkreservoir and anink-imparting device, and means for actuating the ink-fountain to causeit to move downward so as to bring the inkimparting device below thelevel of fluid in the ink-fountain and to move upward to bring theink-imparting device into contact with the ink-distributing table,substantially as set forth.

15. An inking apparatus comprising aninkdistributing table arranged facedownward, ink-distributing rollers arranged to reciprocate under and incontact with the ink-distributing table, a movable ink-fountain havingan ink-reservoir and having an ink-imparting device capable of receivingand holding a charge of ink and means for actuating the ink-fountain tocause the ink-imparting device to fall to receive a charge of ink and torise to apply the ink to the distributingtable and for actuating thedistributing-rollers, substantially as set forth.

16. An inking apparatus comprising a distributing-surface roughenedthroughout its entire width to increase the friction thereof,distributirig-rollers, and means for causing a movement of thedistributing-rollers relatively to the distributi11g-surface and incontact with the distributing-surface, substantially as set forth.

17. An inking apparatus comprisinga distributing-plate arranged facedownward, a movable fountain havingan inclosed ink-reservoir and a mouthand an absorbent inkimparting device at said mouth, and means foractuating the ink-fountain to cause the ink-imparting device to movedownward to receive a charge of ink and to move upward to apply the inkto the distributing-platc,substantially as set forth.

18. An inking apparatus comprisinga distributing-plate arranged facedownward, movable ink-distributing means arranged to work in contacttherewith, a movable inkfountain having an inclosed in k-reservoir and amouth and an absorbent ink-imparting device at said mouth, and means foractuating the ink-fountain to cause the ink-im parting device to movedownward to receive a charge of ink and to move upward to apply the inktothe distributing-plate and for actuating the movable ink-distributingmeans, substantially as set forth.

19. An inking apparatus comprising a distributing-plate arranged facedownward, distributingrollers, and a movable ink-fountain having aninclosed ink-reservoir and a mouth and an absorbent ink-imparting deviceat said mouth, in combination with a printing device in proximity to oneend of the ink-distributing plate, the ink-distributing rollers beingarranged to move under and in contact with the ink-distributing plateand in contact with the printing device and means for actuating theink-fountain to cause the ink-imparting device to move downward toreceive a charge of ink and to move upward to apply the ink to thedistributingplate and for actuating the distributing-rollers,substantially as set forth.

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20. An inking apparatus comprising a movable ink-fountain consisting ofan inclosed ink-reservoir having a mouth and an absorbent ink-impartingdevice at said mouth and an adjustable presser device bearing againstthe absorbent ink-imparting device, an inkreceiving surface, and meansfor causing the ink-fountain to move 4into a position such that the inkwill flow to the ink-imparting device and the ink-imparting device willbe away from the ink-receiving surface and into a position such that theink will iow away from the ink-imparting device and the inkimpartingdevice will be in contact with the ink-receiving surface, substantiallyas set forth.

21. An inking apparatus comprisinga distributing-plate arranged facedownward, an ink imparting device, distributing rollers JOHN N. P.'CRAMER Witnesses:

HENRY D. WILLIAMS, HERBERT H. GIBBs.

